For the first time in three years, Northwood University football coach Mike Sullivan is not sure who his starting quarterback is going to be — or at least he’s not saying so.

With the graduation of three-year starter Aaron Shavers, Sullivan says the Timberwolves’ QB spot is up for grabs as NU’s Sept. 7 season and home opener vs. Slippery Rock approaches. And while sophomore Mark Morris of Macomb Dakota would seem to be the frontrunner for the starting nod, Sullivan said that nothing is set in stone just yet.

“(The competition for the QB spot) is really going good,” Sullivan said at Friday’s NU media day. “Mark (Morris) got some playing time last year when Aaron (Shavers) was hurt, which is good.”

Sullivan added, though, that redshirt-freshman Mitch Robinson of Rochester Hills Avondale; junior Byron Dawkins from Chicago, who quarterbacked DuPage to a junior college national championship last year; and freshman Ben Dreslinski from Tecumseh are also in the mix.

“Those four guys are battling,” Sullivan noted. “And the nice thing is that we have depth at that position, so if one guy goes down (with an injury), we’ve got somebody with similar capabilities who is right behind him.”

Morris is the only current Northwood QB with any experience in the NU offense, having appeared in seven games last year and having completed 67 of 133 passes for 672 yards and four touchdowns with five interceptions. He also rushed for 122 yards.

Still, Sullivan wouldn’t say definitively that the job is Morris’s to lose.

“Mark’s doing well, but it is a battle,” he said. “Those guys are neck and neck, and it’s too close to call right now. We hope to have that figured out going into game week.”

For his part, Morris said he’s just concentrating on what he has control over — his own performance.

“Experience is definitely a big part of football, but there are other things that come into play as well, and we’re going to see how everything goes as the season moves forward,” Morris said. “ ... You’ve just got to take things day by day. You can’t look at it as, ‘Am I going to be the starter or not?’ because that can hinder your ability.

“You’ve just got to do what you can on the field, and at the end of the day just know that you did all you can to be successful,” he added.

According to Sullivan, the Timberwolves are tweaking their traditional triple-option offense and hoping to throw the ball more often and more effectively, which should open up the middle of the field for senior fullback Cameron Jackson and his backfield mates.

“We’re (still) an option team, but we are trying to throw the ball a little more, too, and play to the strength of what we have,” Sullivan said. “We have some great receivers and some great running backs, and we want to use those (guys).”

Morris said that he welcomes the changes in the offense.

“Going from being an option team in the past and moving more toward the spread is definitely a challenge, but I think we have overcome (the challenges) and done a great job with that,” Morris said, adding that NU’s current offensive scheme is very similar to what he ran at Dakota. “ ... It was pretty much the same offense we’re running right now. ... It’s an easy transition for me.”

Morris said he feels like he’s ready to be the Timberwolves’ everyday quarterback but doesn’t mind competing for the job.

“You’ve just got to take your time with (adjusting to the collegiate level),” he noted. “When you get in there for the first time, it’s not like high school. Everyone’s bigger, everyone’s faster, everyone’s stronger. You can’t make the moves you made before. You’ve just got to figure out how to play and what you can do with your abilities. “ ... We all get along great,” he said of himself and his fellow QBs. “ ... There’s no hostile environment with any of us.”

Jackson returns at fullback after rushing for 575 yards and five TDs last year before being suspended for the final five games of the season. Sullivan said that Jackson is strong, mature, and ready to go.

“Cam is impressive,” he noted. “Cam is the best I’ve ever seen him.”

Also back is senior wingback Jordan Jonker, who rushed for 664 yards and nine TDs, both team highs, a year ago. Junior Bryce Lindberg and sophomore Luke Shaffer are both coming off of an injury-plagued 2012 season, while redshirt-freshman David Ruhlman from Freeland; junior Glenn Winston, formerly of Michigan State; and senior Jamal Butler are all vying for playing time in the backfield.

NU’s offensive line has five returners who had significant playing time last year and helped the Timberwolves rush for just under 200 yards per game, good for fifth in the GLIAC — seniors Josh Augustine (6-foot-5, 275 pounds) and tight end Cory Goble (6-2, 260), along with juniors Kory Schrauben (6-1, 280), Dylan Davis (6-4, 270), and Sean Grisan (6-2, 250).

The Timberwolves also return their leading receiver from 2012, sophomore Carrington Thompson, who caught 38 passes for 565 yards and seven TDs, along with senior Eric Williams and sophomore Devonta Elzy. Sophomore Dan Richmond is also expected to see some time at receiver.

While NU has plenty of returning experience on offense, its defense graduated nine starters, including standout linebackers Ryan Whittum and Spencer Remtema, who combined for nearly 200 tackles last season.

The D-line does return some experienced players in seniors Jefson Nelson (35 tackles) and Kyle Fikki (27 tackles), while seniors Adam Gulvas and Mike Mann and juniors Dan Connolly and Ron McNamara all saw playing time last year as well.

Senior Curtis Hutchins and junior Durrell Ward are the top returners at linebacker, while seniors Carlos Love and Bryson Ruffin bring plenty of experience in the secondary.

“The one thing I like most about our team this year is that we’ve got depth at a lot of areas,” Sullivan said. “As we all know, in the GLIAC you have to have depth, because it’s a race. It’s a (tough) game every week.”

This year’s schedule is very similar to last year’s for NU, with four winnable games against Slippery Rock, Walsh, Quincy, and Tiffin to kick things off in September. After that, the path gets decidedly tougher, as the Timberwolves have road games at Wayne State and Saginaw Valley followed by home games vs. Michigan Tech and Grand Valley in October.

Last year, Northwood began the season at 4-0 before losing five straight and eventually finishing at 5-6.

Jackson said he expects this season to be a different story.

“I’m excited about the team we’ve got right now. We’re all flying around and having fun,” Jackson said. “ ... You can just look at the atmosphere (and see that it’s) totally different. Everyone’s bought in, and everyone’s excited. We’re all just going out every day and competing. I think we’re going to come out and be a better team than the last few years.

“ ... As a team, I’d like to see us first of all get to the playoffs,” he added. “The ultimate goal is to compete for a GLIAC championship.”